Rory McIlroy has revealed that Tiger Woods hasn’t wasted much time embracing his new role as a Player Director on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board.
The 15-time Major winner was appointed to the position at the start of August in the wake of the PGA Tour’s merger with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) that finances LIV Golf.
McIlroy also sits on the Policy Board, meaning arguably the two most influential players on the PGA Tour now have a direct say on its future as it attempts to navigate its fledgling relationship with the PIF.
The 34-year-old is preparing for his final PGA Tour start of the season in the Tour Championship at East Lake. However, before attempting to win the FedEx Cup title for the fourth time, he revealed the influence Woods is already having in his new role.
He said: “I think Tiger being on the board, you know, he's, I think it's meaningful that he's on it, that he's engaged. He's certainly been spending more time on it than I have. He's been talking to some people. He's been talking to a lot of people. He's really engaged in just trying to get the best outcome for the players on the PGA Tour.”
Earlier in the week, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan expressed his confidence that the Tour and the PIF would work out the details on their partnership by January, saying: “We're probably right where I would expect that we would be. But there's an intensity and there's an urgency and there's a lot of work, good work, that's being done."
As the golf world awaits news on exactly what the partnership means for the future of the game, McIlroy said he thinks Woods’ input will only increase as the deadline approaches.
He continued: “I think his difference has been felt already. I think it will only continue to, his presence on there will only continue to grow as we head towards that December 31st deadline.”
It’s not the first time McIlroy has sung the praises of Woods since his appointment. Before the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the four-time Major winner said Woods had “stepped up for all of us” by taking on up the position.
Woods’ appointment came with a pledge from the PGA Tour to “ensure that the Tour lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organization, ‘for the players, by the players'" after there had been complaints from some players that the merger deal had been struck without their input.
